Warriors drop 3rd game in a row

MEMPHIS — The Warriors, finally, got back to their defensive ways. It was too late to avoid a 99-93 defeat to the host Grizzlies.

But Golden State showed flashes of the team that looked to be a playoff contender. They came alive in the second half like they hadn't all road trip, nearly stealing a win over Memphis.

It's a moral victory the Warriors don't seem to want, as they head to Dallas looking to avoid an 0-4 road trip. The sign of life, however, brought a glimmer of hope to a desperate locker room.

"This is a frustrating feeling for us, knowing that we've lost three in a row," point guard Stephen Curry said after leading the Warriors with 32 points, eight assists, five rebounds and three steals in 40 minutes. "But there is positive we can take from this game knowing we got back to our brand of basketball for the last 24 minutes. We have to remember that."

The Warriors (30-20) held the Grizzlies to 36 points on 38.2 percent shooting in the second half. They forced 10 turnovers and limited inside-dominant Memphis to 18 points in the paint and four offensive rebounds after halftime.

It was the kind of energetic, scrappy, collective defensive posture the Warriors have exhibited most of the season.

Certainly, Memphis is hardly the most potent offensive team in the league, especially since shipping star Rudy Gay to Toronto for veteran forward Tayshaun Prince plus pieces. But after getting ran out of the gym at Houston and Oklahoma City, it stood out as resilient and gritty.

And that was without the heart of the Warriors as back-up guard Jarrett Jack missed his second consecutive game with a right shoulder contusion.

As was the case the first two games on this road trip, the hole Golden State dug in the first half was too large to overcome.

The Warriors trailed by as much as 14 in the first half because their defense was, once again, porous.

Golden State trailed 63-56 at the half. Over the first three games of the road trip, the Warriors have given up an average of 69 points on 54.7 percent shooting in the first half.

"Giving up 63 points in the first half is unacceptable," rookie forward Draymond Green said. "I don't care who you're playing. É When you gift a good team a 12-point lead, it's hard to come back from. We've got to stop giving up 60 points in the first half."

But unlike the first two games on this road trip, when the game was decided early, the Warriors had a chance to win this game. They led 78-77 after forward David Lee converted a layup to kick off the fourth quarter. But the Grizzlies ran off a 6-0 run while Golden State had a turnover spree. In less than a minute, the Warriors turned the ball over three times, the last a backcourt violation by guard Klay Thompson that led to a layup by Allen, putting the Warriors down 83-78.

It took the Warriors just 54 seconds to re-take the lead. Lee putback Curry's missed runner. After a stop by the Warriors, Curry knocked down a 3-pointer. Thompson then stole a pass in the backcourt and hit Curry for another 3-pointer, giving Golden State an 86-83 advantage with 8:10 left.

The Warriors were feeling and looking good as the Grizzlies called a timeout. But after that, it was all downhill for Golden State.

The Warriors' next basket didn't come until a Thompson jumper with 3:26 left, missing five shots. By then, Memphis had taken control of the game. Back-to-back jumpers by Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (20 points, 11 rebounds, five assists) highlighted a 9-0 run that put Golden State down 92-86.

The Warriors never got closer than six the rest of the way.

They have also lost nine straight to the Grizzlies (31-18), who swept the season series from the Warriors. Golden State sits No. 6 in the Western Conference, 1.5 games behind Memphis.

"We haven't played a complete game in probably the last, in my opinion, 10 games," center Andrew Bogut said. "It's coming back to bite us right now."

These are good teams. When you have a five or six minute lapse defensively or a five or six minute lapse offensively, it's going to bit you in the (rear). There is some sense of urgency. There are teams nipping at our heels. We're only four games out of the eighth spot. É We've got a lot of work to do still."

* Bogut played a season-high 27 minutes, 41 seconds against Memphis. He finished with seven points, six rebounds and two assists.

He will sit out Saturday's game at Dallas since it's the last game of a back-to-back set.

In his five games since returning to the lineup, he has averaged 9.6 points, 7 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in 25.4 minutes.

* Lee, who finished with 26 points and six rebounds in 41 minutes, did some good work while in Memphis. He visited will children at St. Jude hospital in Memphis on Thursday. He usually donates $25,000 to the hospital. But after his visit, he decided to double it.